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Millionaire/WWTBAM In Popular Culture
In the 1956 film, their was a song also called Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (reference to this show's title in general) sung by Frank Sinatra and Celeste Holm. However, this has nothing to do with the show itself. In MADtv, there are two versions that Millionaire has been in popular culture for. First, the celebrity edition and then a version parodying the name of the show as Who Wants to Be The President? Also, Lorraine Swanson, one of the characters on MADtv, appeared in one of the episodes where Millionaire was a skit in the show. Regis was not in the episode where Lorraine came in; he only did the first two skits of Millionaire, the Lorraine skit was Alex Borstein who portrayed Philbin. Mad TV Celebrity Millionaire (Parody) Mad TV - Who Wants To Be The President MADtv Lorraine Millionaire In a Cartoon Network commercial for The Powerpuff Girls (1998 version) from 2000, Mojo Jojo is sitting in the Hot Seat when he is trying to answer a question (i.e. One of these is not a cheese... A: Gruyere, B: Gouda, C: Gorgonzola, D: Garagiola). He decides to call someone with Phone a Friend. The Powerpuff Girls are sitting back at home watching Mojo and Blossom says, "Jeez Luis! Can you believe this guy?" Then Buttercup says, "About time already, for cryin' out loud!" Regis Philbin made an off-camera appearance in this. NOTE: Just in case you all are wondering, the correct answer to the question (though never revealed) was "D: Garagiola". The short-lived MTV reality show The Assistant had a spoof of Millionaire called Who Wants to Be Andy's Assistant?. The first episode of the show that featured the said spoof is called: "Welcome to the Assistant, Now Go Home". Who_Wants-To_Be_Andy's_Assisstant.jpg The Amanda Show has a recurring parody of Millionaire called So You Wanna Win Five Dollars?, hosted by Tina (Played by Amanda Bynes). The contestant (usually a character from another recurring skit on the show, who isn't very bright) is asked three questions, along with the final question being worth only $5.00. There is a movie based on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? called Slumdog Millionaire. It's about a man named Jamal Malik and he's trying to win 10 million rupees, but before he can do such a thing, he goes on one big adventure. There is also a parody called Who Wants to Be A Millooneyaire? on The Big Cartoonie Show on Kids WB. Saturday Night Live (SNL) parodied this show, both with its original title and as Who Wants to Eat?. Later the syndicated edition was parodied with Keenan Thompson as Steve Harvey. wwte1.jpg wwte2.jpg Friends of the People parodied this show as a "million-dollar game show heist" with Cash Cab host Ben Bailey. In The Lion King 1½ DVD, there is a special feature game, "Who Wants to Be the King of the Jungle?" The format is similar to the regular game play on Millionaire but the questions are shortened to 10 instead of 15. There are two lifelines that are different in this version as well. The 50/50 lifeline stays the same. The two different lifelines are "Poll the Herd" (Ask the Audience) and "Phone an Animal" (Phone a Friend). The viewer plays as Timon trying to help him be "King of the Jungle". Timon plays for grub, not cash. Meredith Vieira does make an appearance as host in this special feature. The questions are Lion King questions. Pumba also makes an appearance. One of the Phone a Friend choices is Pumbaa (despite Meredith saying you can call any animal if you're stuck on a question), and you win food (in this case "grubs") instead of cash. lionking15-13.jpg vlcsnap-2015-06-22-00h08m49s245.png vlcsnap-2015-06-22-00h05m04s60.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-18h32m41s398.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-18h38m55s932.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-18h39m57s194.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-18h42m44s404.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-18h43m30s326.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-18h48m11s053.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-18h51m43s025.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-18h54m50s599.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-18h56m51s711.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-19h07m39s306.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-19h08m50s681.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-19h16m35s482.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-19h17m57s251.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-19h20m54s203.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-19h25m17s401.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-19h38m01s450.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-19h48m21s119.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-19h57m19s632.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-22h16m38s985.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-22h27m01s048.png vlcsnap-2016-12-12-22h35m43s006.png The internet cartoon Pookie Poo did a spoof of Millionaire. On the November 16, 1999 episode of the sitcom Spin City called "How to Bury a Millionaire", Paul Lassiter (played by Richard Kind) becomes a contestant on the show hosted by former personality Regis Philbin where he won the top prize of $1,000,000 by guessing each and every one of the questions correctly. Spin_City_Watching_Millionaire.png Spin_City_Paul_Lassiter.png Spin_City_Regis_Philbin.png The 1999 music video for the Rage Against the Machine song "Sleep Now in the Fire" had a parody of the show called Who Wants to Be Filthy F#&%ing Rich? where contestants are asked questions that matched the band's political theme, usually with the contestants getting the answer wrong. Towards the end of the video, a homeless man answers the presumed final question correctly, and after handing back the money given to him, the contestants storm the stage and toss the money in the air. In 2000, a PC CD-ROM and Sega Dreamcast parody video game was released by Simon & Schuster Interactive, called Who Wants to Beat Up a Millionaire?. PC CD-ROM version 51W93X4CF6L.jpg 51Z6Q3XQBKL.jpg Sega Dreamcast version Who_Wants_to_Beat_Up_a_Millionaire_front_cover_(Sega_Dreamcast).jpg 577988_35373_back.jpg Millionaire was also given homage in the famous 2000 Baha Men music video "Who Let the Dogs Out?". It was featured in the beginning of the video just before the song started. The security guard was watching Millionaire on TV and the question was "Who Let The Dogs Out?" Millionaire who let the dogs out.png Also in 2000, an episode of Celebrity Deathmatch called "Johnny & Debbie … in Love?", a fight between Regis Philbin (representing Millionaire) where he tries to dispatch Chuck Woolery (representing Greed) in the segment called "Who Wants to be a Dead Game Show Host?" The show Late Night with Conan O'Brien spoofed WWTBAM, in 1999. A 2000 issue of the Archie Comics spinoff Veronica has once spoofed Millionaire as Who Wants to Win a Million Bucks?. A 2001 episode of the short-lived primetime game show You Don't Know Jack (which ironically enough aired on the same network as Millionaire) hosted by Troy Stevens (played by Paul Reubens) spoofed the show as Who Wants to Marry a Farm Animal?. ADDITIONAL NOTE: In the very first episode, Stevens gets a call from Philbin on tips about how to be a good game show host. In a 2001 rap song called "Oochie Wally", Nas makes a references to the title of the show along with its former host by claiming that its "Sort of like the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, but my name ain't Regis" In the 2002 episode of The Sopranos called "The Weight", Tony (played by the late James Gandolfini) and Junior (Dominic Chianese) Soprano watches a contestant on the show blowing his $1,000 question as Junior comments on how this "poor prick" used up all of his lifelines. NOTE: The contestant from this clip was Sal Mecca. In the 2003 rap song called "Through the Wire" by Kanye West, West references the show's title and lifelines by claiming that he's "Trying to be a Millionaire, How I use two lifelines". NOTE: The sample was the classic 1985 romantic love song "Through the Fire" by Chaka Khan. In the 2007 episode of Robot Chicken called "Robot Chicken's Half-Assed Christmas Special", Hermey the Elf was a contestant on Millionaire. Robot_Chicken_Millionaire_1.png Robot_Chicken_Millionaire_2.png Robot_Chicken_Millionaire_3.png Robot_Chicken_Millionaire_4.png In 2008, a hip hop style online cartoon parodied the show as Who Wants to Be a Chamillionaire? hosted by one-hit wonder rapper Chamillionaire. Who_Wants_to_Be_a_Chamillionaire.png The game show Let's Make a Deal (Brady) has one of the segment called Who Wants to Answer Multiple-Choice Questions for Cash and Prizes? where contestants answered three general knowledge multiple-choice questions for cash. Each question contained three answers. When contestants were to confirm their response, Brady would ask them "Is that your definitive response?" (similar to "Is That Your Final Answer?"). Each correct answer was worth $500. Choosing a wrong answer at any time automatically ended the question round afterwards, contestants could risk their cash on one of two curtains in hopes of winning a big prize (usually a car). The 2009 game, Ace Attorney Investigations, while being interrogated by protagonist Miles Edgeworth, the smuggling ring leader establishes an alibi by stating he was watching a play at at the of a killing. Upon noticing a contradiction in their statements, Edgeworth states "The special move today part of the play was the 'Early Summer Rain Jab'. Is that your final answer?", in reference to the famous catchphrase. The Disney site features a game called Who Wants to Be a Villionaire?, which contains games hosted by famous Disney villains asking questions from their famous movies (i.e. Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians, Captain Hook from Peter Pan, Urusula from The Little Mermaid, Gaston from Beauty & the Beast, Jafar from Aladdin, and Scar from The Lion King). While the game plays exactly like the original online game, the lifelines differ just slightly: 50:50 and Ask-the Audience remain the same, but Phone-a-Friend is replaced with Phone-a-Fiend (to reflect the games' theme), with the Cruella-de-Vil as the "fiend". The milestones are referred to as "Gravestones" (also to reflect the games' theme). In a 2010 episode of Futurama called "The Duh-Vinci Code", Philip J. Fry (voiced by Billy West) appears as a contestant on a spoof of this show called "Who Dares to Be a Millionaire?" hosted by Morbo (voiced by Maurice Lamarche) but missed on the very first question as Professor Farnsworth (also voiced by Billy West) berates him for his stupidity. In a 2013 episode of the BYUtv sketch comedy show Studio C, the show is spoofed in the Millionaire segment. In a 2016 episode of Family Guy called "Road India", Brian Griffin (voiced by Seth McFarland) becomes a contestant on the Indian version of Millionaire called Kaun Banega Crorepati. In a 2019 episode of the hit Asian-themed, ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat called "Lou Wants to Be a Millionaire" (the title of this episode is a parody of the show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire) where Louis Huang (played by Randall Park) fantasizes about the cattleman ranch's torch to Eddie Huang (played by Hudson Yang) but is worried about his menu choices. Meanwhile, Jessica Huang (played by Constance Wu) is still struggling to get on board with Emery Huang's (played by Forrest Wheeler) new acting hobby. And when Louis scores a spot on the show, former host Regis Philbin offers Louis and Jessica more answers than million-dollar questions. Category:In Popular Culture Category:Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?